Japanese Sweet Potato Rice (Satsumaimo Gohan)

1. Gather all the ingredients. If you change the amount of rice, please read the post for the rice-to-water ratio.

To Rinse and Wash the Rice

1. Wash 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice. First, add just enough water to submerge all the rice. Then, discard the water immediately (so the rice doesn‘t absorb the cloudy water). Tip: Rice absorbs water very quickly when you start rinsing, so don‘t let the rice absorb the first few rounds of water.
2. Use your fingers to gently wash the wet rice grains in a circular motion for 15–20 seconds.
3. Add more water to rinse, then discard the cloudy water. Repeat this wash-and-rinse process a couple of times until the water is clear.
4. When the water is almost clear, drain well. Tip: Use a fine-mesh sieve to drain for 5 minutes and shake off excess water.

To Prepare the Sweet Potatoes

1. While draining the rice, wash 2 Japanese sweet potatoes (Satsumaimo) with a brush under running water. Leaving the skin on, cut them into slices ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.
2. Then, cut the sweet potato slices into ¾-inch (2-cm) cubes. Soak in cold water until ready to use. Tip: This is an important step to remove astringency from the sweet potatoes and prevent from discoloration.

To Assemble the Rice and Sweet Potatoes

1. Add the drained rice to the inner pot of a rice cooker (or to a donabe or heavy-bottomed pot). Add 1 Tbsp sake, 1½ Tbsp mirin, and 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
2. Add 2⅓ cups water and mix everything together with chopsticks.
3. Drain the sweet potato cubes well. Place the sweet potatoes on top of the rice in an even layer. DO NOT MIX with rice, as rice can‘t cook evenly when you mix it with other ingredients. Let the rice soak for 20–30 minutes.

To Cook in a Rice Cooker

1. Put the inner pot in the rice cooker, select your menu, and start cooking. If your rice cooker has the Mixed or Umami mode, use it; otherwise, use the White Rice mode (or simply press the On button).

To Cook in a Donabe or Heavy-Bottomed Pot over the Stove

1. Cover the donabe (or heavy-bottomed pot) with the lid. Turn on the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. This should take about 8–10 minutes, but it depends on how much rice and sweet potatoes are in the pot and the heat on the stove. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 13–15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove from the stove, and let it rest, undisturbed, for 20 minutes.

To Make the Gomashio

1. To make the gomashio (sesame salt), add 2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds to a small pan and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes, over low heat (this is optional, but it enhances the sesame flavor). Combine the toasted sesame seeds and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt in a small container or bowl.

To Serve

1. Once the rice is ready, fluff the rice gently with a rice paddle. Serve into individual bowls and sprinkle some gomashio on top to enjoy!

To Store

1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for a month.